In round one, Carlisle held Adelaide spearhead Taylor Walker, who finished last year's premiership season fourth on the goalkicking table (63), to 3.1 and four marks, while taking nine marks of his own.
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In round three, Carlisle kept Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich, the equal leading goalkicker last season (69), scoreless and to just two marks - a performance that earned him the maximum 10 votes in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award.
On Anzac Day, the 21-year-old kept Collingwood star Travis Cloke, who finished sixth on last year's goalkicking table (59), to 2.3 and six marks.
Cloke was in red-hot form entering Thursday's game, having kicked 12 goals in the previous two rounds. But with Carlisle by his side, Cloke didn't kick his first goal until the 18-minute mark of the third term and squeezed in a second when the game was almost over.
Time and time again, Carlisle demonstrated a Dustin Fletcher-like ability to get a late fist in when the ball was almost in the Cloke's hands.
His performance saw him finish third in the voting for the Anzac Medal, behind teammate David Zaharakis and skipper Jobe Watson.
Carlisle told AFL.com.au after the Bombers' Anzac Day win that knowing how strong Cloke was he had tried not to engage in one-on-one contests.
"He's a tough opponent, a real competitor and he's pretty strong. He's been around a while so he knows the game too," Carlisle said.
"When the ball's kicked in he knows where it's going to land and he uses his big frame to protect where the ball's going to drop.
"So working into the game I thought I probably had to sit off him a bit for the high balls. I knew I was going to go with him on the lead but with the high balls he knows what he's doing."
Carlisle's form in Essendon's other two wins this year was good too.
In Essendon's round two demolition of Melbourne, he held Mitch Clark to one goal and two marks, while last Saturday night he waged a hard-fought battle with St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt. Riewoldt kicked 3.1 and took eight marks, but Carlisle took six marks of his own and probably broke even on the night.
As well as conceding just nine goals in the first five rounds, Carlisle has averaged 14 disposals and seven marks a game.
Carlisle said he had been happy with his start to the season but was not about to start resting on his laurels.
"You've just got to keep getting better and I've still got a lot of work to do," he said.
Essendon's defence has been without injured veteran Dustin Fletcher for its past two games now.
Carlisle said the Bombers had coped well in Fletcher's absence and knew they had to get used to life without the 37-year-old sooner rather than later.
"I love it when Fletch is down there. He's a big inspiration, the way he goes about it, his talk and his knowledge of the game is second to none," Carlisle said.
"But it helps us every time he's not there because we are going to have to get used to not having him there. It helps prepare us for the future."
Nick Bowen is a reporter with AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick
